Needing Exercise Advice

amoerizzle

Hi all! I haven't posted on this board before, but have lurked a few times. I am currently 24 weeks and I'm starting to see that my weight gain has been less than healthy. 

Before pregnancy, I never worked out. I was in good shape, with a normal BMI and a good set of abs and leg muscles, but I didn't do any work to achieve those. At this point, my legs have seemed to not only lose all muscle tone, but have collected a lot of fat. I also find it challenging to get up off of the floor just using my legs, because I simply can't lift myself. During my 2nd Tri, I've had a lot of sciatic nerve pain, so by the time I got off work for the day, it was impossible to do any form of physical exercise, let alone get off the couch. I have gained about 20 lbs so far (in the past 10 weeks or so), which isn't TOO much, but I'm still not feeling healthy at all.

I'm not wanting to diet or lose weight, but I am wanting to add some activity that will help me control my weight gain and try to build up a little bit more muscle tone to help with a speedy recovery. However, today I did 10 squats and that alone left me very dizzy and completely tired and sore and out of breath. Any ideas on what might be a good start at this point in pregnancy that isn't too much exercise, but still enough to get me back on a better, healthier track? Thanks!

cmbarrytx

Walking is always a great way to start, and the usefulness of it is always very underrated.  Don't panic that squats gave you trouble -- those are definitely not easy exercises, and given that you're tired and haven't exercised much, I'm not the least bit surprised they gave you some trouble.

 The beauty of walking is that you can maybe squeeze in 15 minutes before work and/or at lunch time and even that small amount will make a big difference. 

Lara0802

I agree with PP. Just try walking everyday. I did exercise during pregnancy, but at one point, all I could do was walk. It really helped a lot, I too was at about a 20 lb weight gain around 24 weeks, and I was freaking out! But, I kept walking, probably 3-4 times per week. My total weight gain ended up being 28 lbs.

JFH2010

Walking is great. The other two things I would suggest are swimming and prenatal yoga. Swimming is awesome, especially as you get farther along, because it's low impact and it feels GREAT to be in the water. It's also really easy to pace yourself - if you're not feeling good, you can just do lazy laps, or you can bump it up on days when you're up for more. Yoga is just all-around wonderful - it will build your strength, improve your flexibility, keep your muscles stretched out as they adapt to your changing shape & weight, and relax you to boot. Good luck!